Abington Public Library to host Frederick Law Olmsted presentation

The Abington Public Library will host Supervisory Park Ranger Alan S. Banks for a discussion of Frederick Law Olmsted & the Massachusetts Legacy at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at 600 Gliniewicz Way, Abington.

The firm Frederick Law Olmsted, founded over a century ago, was involved in over 1,200 landscape architecture projects throughout Massachusetts, ranging from expansive 500-acre public parks to intimate private gardens. One of its greatest achievements is a six-mile "emerald necklace" of ponds, parks and parkways that winds its way through Boston.

This one-hour illustrated lecture will sample this landscape legacy and explore the ideas that shaped some of the most treasured places in Massachusetts. The program will also include information about Frederick Law Olmstead’s work for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, as featured in Erik Larson’s book, “Devil in the White City.” This book will be also featured at the Nov. 29 meeting of the Library’s Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group, to be held at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend the lecture on Nov. 15 and the book discussion on Nov. 29.

Banks oversees the historical interpretation of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline. During the last 25 years he has researched and developed a variety of landscape walking tours, lectures and presentations on the Olmsteds and their work across the country. In 2013, he was an invited speaker at the Appalachian Institute at Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, and later that year he traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to speak on Olmsted-designed Lake Park. Last year he was the keynote speaker at the regional meeting of the American Society of Landscape Architects in Atlanta, Georgia. His programs have been presented to clubs, civic groups, schools and libraries across Massachusetts.

Banks was highlighted in the Boston Globe for his walking tours of the Boston Park System. He recently was seen on “Olmsted and America’s Urban Parks,” a documentary screened on PBS featuring Kevin Kline and Kerry Washington.

Registration is not necessary for this event. For information: 781-982-2139; ablib@ocln.org.